Early Civilizations

Catalog description

This course explores the origins and development of the world’s earliest complex societies, beginning with the river valley civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and ancient China. It then expands to explore the rise of cities and states in sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. Through critical examination of archaeological, visual, and written evidence, students will trace the emergence of writing systems, monumental architecture, codified laws, and systems of governance that shaped early societies. The course emphasizes the dynamic interplay between environment and human innovation, including the role of geography, resource management, and climate in shaping civilizations. Topics include theories on the origins of cities and states, kingship, gender relations, social stratification, trade, religion, and philosophy.